Published 26 May 2015
I'm going to try to say something smart about this book, but I'm probably going to be emotional.Kent Haruf's last book, Our Souls at Night (2015) conveys a lot of depth and complexity with a stylistically light touch. I'm in awe. His prose is sparse, yet it conveys a lot of heft.
This 179 page novella is set in the fictional town Holt, Colorado--well outside of Denver on the eastern plains area of the state. All of his works of fiction are set in the same town.
However, I was absolutely entranced by this quiet romance novel--if that's what you call it. It's unclear because the two main characters participate in a relationship that's a bit unconventional.
The novel opens with widow Addie Moore walking over to visit Louis Waters in order to make a proposition. They are both older adults who have lost a spouse.
They've known each other for years but haven't really spoken directly except perhaps to exchange pleasantries. Nevertheless, Addie is full sick of the empty spot in the bed next to her, and she has selected Louis as the man to solve that problem: "I wonder if you would come and sleep in the night with me. And talk."
What follows is a quiet unfolding of two people's lives. It's an interesting contrast to see how two people get to know each other from the point of view of late life. Telling your "life story" is a lot more complex at 70 than 27. How do you convey the nuances of a prior marriage? How to you explain the ripple effect of personal tragedy? How to you convey your hopes for the future when that future is so much shorter at 70 than 27?
I found it totally fascinating to watch these two narrate their past lives and create a new relationship together, one that had a lot of age-related constraints. But this novel is not preachy at all. It shows; it doesn't tell. Addie and Louis are understated, patient, grounded and mature. This is no bodice ripper, but the depth of emotion is palpable.
By the end, tears silently rolled down my cheeks. It wasn't just the characters that moved me. Haruf's style is also understated, patient, grounded and mature. He crafted something simple yet sturdy and beautiful -- like a hope chest for storing heirlooms.
I was quietly stunned by the beauty of his last novel that I have vowed to read everything he's written, and to read them slowly so that I can savor both form and content.
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